If you’re an animal lover seeking a career that reflects that love, you’ve probably been told to become a veterinarian. But what if you don’t want to go to veterinary school for four years? What if you prefer a career path that allows for more human connections, as well as connections with their animals?

If you’ve never considered working for a humane society or animal shelter for fear it’ll be depressing or perhaps even boring, that’s far from the truth. Although a job at an animal shelter may not rank as a hot career path on job search sites, it can be noble, rewarding and exciting.

The annual Animal Care Conference, coordinated by the State Humane Association of California and the California Animal Control Directors Association, recently concluded in Sacramento. This conference illustrated just how many career paths there are in the field of animal welfare. There were hundreds in attendance, including animal care technicians, veterinarians and animal services officers, of course, but there were also marketing specialists, directors of operations, dog trainers and educators —all seeking the latest information and research related to the field of animal welfare, as well as networking opportunities.

“My career started because I loved animals. But over the years, my path became more about the connection with people — people and their relationships or interactions with animals in our community,” says Brigitte Sanchez, customer service supervisor at Marin Humane.

Marin Humane’s staff of 100 is a hardworking team of professionals in a wide range of positions at various levels, including staff accountant, adoption assistant, director of development, registered veterinary technician, humane educator, volunteer coordinator and marketing specialist among many others.

Careers in other types of animal welfare organizations could include advocacy or legal work, studying animal behavior or dog training, human relations or work in public policy. From leading awareness campaigns to promoting coexistence with wildlife, there are an incredible variety of ways to work on behalf of animals (and the people who love them).

Employees and volunteers often have access to additional training, which can lead to professional certification or advanced degrees. Veterinary schools now offer tracks in shelter medicine, giving more credence to the work of a shelter veterinarian who can now choose not to go into private practice or medical research.

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Far from the old characterizations of “the dog catcher,” the work of today’s animal services officers (sometimes called animal control officers) has evolved to much more than just finding stray animals.

“The role of an animal services officer is part law enforcement, part social work, part education and part animal handler,” says Capt. Cindy Machado, director of animal services at Marin Humane.

Animal services officers work with the community on a variety of issues, from educating people about how to peacefully coexist with coyotes and deer to helping neighbors get along better when it comes to issues of pets. These hardworking officers are highly trained, professional, caring people who combine their love of animals with their desire to serve the public.

By the way, we’ve changed our name to Marin Humane, updated our logo and tweaked our language to better communicate the breadth of our work. Our staff and volunteers help kids gain confidence by reading to dogs, ensure low-income seniors can keep their pets by providing free pet care assistance, teach people to be good pet parents and much more. Our dedicated team helps more than 10,000 animals a year.

The field of animal welfare isn’t always on the top 10 best places to earn a high salary, but its payoffs are immeasurable — for the individual, for the animals and for the community.

Nancy McKenney is the president and chief executive officer of Marin Humane, which contributes Tails of Marin articles and welcomes animal-related questions and stories about the people and animals in our community. Go to MarinHumaneSociety.org, Twitter.com/MarinHumane, or email lbloch@MarinHumaneSociety.org.